Score
by theyoungertorres
Summary: Set twenty years after the graduation of the class of 2013. Follows the lives of many Degrassi characters and their children. The story inside is better, I promise.
1. Circle of Life

A story taking place twenty years after the senior year of the class of 2013. Follows the lives of many favorite characters including Becky, Drew, and Adam (because in my mind he is still alive and well) and their children. The italicized sentences that break up each character's point of view is the thoughts of one of the characters who will eventually be revealed. Sort of like Grey's Anatomy for any of you who are familiar with the show. So any please enjoy and if you have any positive/negative feedback let me know at the bottom of the page in that convenient review box. Thanks.

* * *

_Life is a circle. You are born, you live for awhile, and then you die. And sure enough, it all happens again. _

Adam Torres moved on top of his wife, his lips on her neck while his fingers hitched up her nightshirt, brushing against the milky white skin beneath. Becky Torres, in turn, ran her fingers through his hair while squirming under his touch. They had been married for almost fifteen years and their hands still moved across each other's skins like a couple of hormonal teenagers.

"Don't start something that you aren't prepared to finish," Becky breathed as he brought his lips up to kiss her.

"Who says I'm not going to finish it?"

"We have things to do," Becky gently pushed her husband away, but he ignored her, pressing his lips to hers again.

The two of them wrestled in the sheets for a couple more moments until Adam pulled away, sitting up and searching the ground for his boxers. Becky leaned up and cocked her head to the side, playfully nudging her husband with her hand, "That's it?"

"We're running late," Adam leaned down to kiss his wife, "We both have to be at work in an hour and one of us has to wake up Seth. It's the first day of school. He shouldn't be late."

"You're no fun," Becky smiled, but got out of bed and wrapped a robe around her body, "By the way, it's your turn to get him up. I had my fill of getting pillows tossed at me last year."

"Alright, alright," Adam grinned and watched as his wife left their room before proceeding to get dressed. He slipped on a pair of jeans before looking around for a clean shirt, catching the sight of his bare chest in the mirror. If scars could tell a story, he would have a novel imprinted on his skin.

His left arm was covered in burn marks, leftover reminders of Gracie, and there was a faded mark on his shoulder from a bullet so many years ago. Then there were the more severe markings. The red, ugly scars that stretched from his neck to his arms from a car crash his senior year of high school. In the end, it could have been much worse, but his already present fear of taking off his shirt increased tenfold. He had washed with a shirt on for weeks and it wasn't until Becky assured him that she did and would always love him that he finally began to feel more comfortable in his own skin.

The only scars that were positive were the two long ones, a couple inches south of his nipples. When he graduated from college, he had finally gotten top surgery with Becky holding one hand and his overprotective, but lovable mother holding the other. He had laughed and eagerly anticipated the surgery, but he supposed it was his girlfriend and mother's job to be overbearing. He still didn't know which one had been worse during his recovery period.

He lingered in front of the mirror for a moment longer before grabbing a black shirt and throwing it over his head.

_Only this time it is your children, your flesh and blood, that go through all the highs and lows of life._

Becky put the breakfast on the table and smiled as her husband and son walked into the kitchen. As the two men she loved more than anything sat at the table and began to eat, she watched them, marveling at how two people with no shared blood could be so similar. Both had shaggy, shoulder-length hair although Seth's was more blonde than brown and when they looked up to see her staring at them, their bright blue eyes had the same question floating in their depths.

Seth Shepard Torres came into their lives fourteen years ago when Becky had been an intern at the hospital where she now worked as a pediatric surgeon. His parents had been in a fatal car accident and lost their lives while he escaped without a scratch. However, he had then been in the world without anyone, no grandparents or extended family. Becky had pleaded with Adam who was hesitant about the idea of adopting a child (they were both only twenty-four at the time), but after an hour in the toddler's presence, Adam was on his wife's side.

It hadn't been easy. Two young parents, one of them an intern at a hospital while the other was trying to make his way as a radio DJ, were hardly compelling candidates, but Becky prayed and Adam got lucky with work and then Seth was theirs and theirs alone. At first, they hadn't told Seth that he was adopted, but eventually, when he was older, they confided the truth into him. He had taken the news surprisingly well without the drama that Becky had been worried about.

"Someone needs to wake Sirius up," Seth mumbled, his mouth full of egg.

"No need," Adam and Becky's attention turned to the new boy that entered the room. Sirius Goldsworthy was the son of the Torres family's best friends yet he ate and slept at his godparents' house more than he did at his own. In recent years, he had become something of an adoptive son to Adam and Becky and an older brother to Seth.

Adam always said he saw himself and Eli, Sirius's father, in their friendship, but Becky always thought the two teenagers resembled Adam and his own brother when they were that age. Seth was there when Sirius broke his arm skateboarding and Sirius, more or less, dressed Seth for his first date.

Sirius ran a hand through his long, brown hair before grinning at his extended family, "Good morning."

"I didn't know you stayed the night, Sirius," Becky placed a plate in front of him and he thanked her quietly, "We could have set up the guest room for you."

"It's alright. I like the couch," Sirius grinned, "Besides, I came in late last night. I didn't want to wake you."

"Still having trouble at home?" Adam gave Sirius a sympathetic smile. Becky was close with Clare Goldsworthy, but she didn't understand the relationship between her and her husband quite like Adam did. So she merely comforted Sirius and offered him a bed to sleep in while Adam tried to get him to talk about his relationship with his parents.

Sirius shrugged, "Better than normal, but considering how far away from normal my parents are, I don't know if that's saying much. Dad keeps himself locked in his study, writing, and Mom got a late night call, saying she had to fly to Ontario for business. Probably nothing big. Most likely just an interview with the best pizza place in Canada."

The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes before cracking a smile while Seth grinned at his best friend. Becky never really knew how much Seth knew or didn't know about Sirius's home life. He never seemed to take things seriously. He preferred offering sarcastic comments or joking about important matters until they went away.

Becky smiled gently at Sirius before glancing at the clock, "You two are going to be late. Adam, will you drive them today?"

"Yes ma'am," Adam grinned before standing up, ruffling Sirius's hair, "Come on, boys. Degrassi's calling."

_You watch as they fall in love and make mistakes._

"Nadia, come on open up!"

Nadia Torres, ignored her twin brother, staring at herself in the mirror. She was sixteen, a child more or less, with her whole life in front of her. She wasn't the smartest, but despite being young, her test scores and academic achievements had already caused more than one university to look her direction. Her brother may have gotten their father's athletic skills, but she inherited their mother's brains.

Which is why she was confused on how something like this could have happened.

"Nadia, I need to get in there! Mom is ready to go!"

"I'm almost done," Nadia responded, trying not to let her brother hear the tears in her voice. He was her best friend, but he couldn't know. No one could know. At least not until she had her mind wrapped around it.

"You said that twenty minutes ago!"

Nadia threw the pregnancy test in the trash before opening the door, glaring at Aidan, "Happy?"

"Yes," Aidan grinned at his sister before getting into the bathroom, running a hair through his spiked brown hair.

"Aidan, Nadia!" Drew Torres called from the stairwell, "Hurry up! Your mother is already in the car!"

"Yes, Dad!" Nadia called back before poking her head back into the bathroom, "Come on, Aidan. Don't take so long."

Aidan rolled his eyes, tossing a towel at his sister before the twins hurried down the stairs.

_You comfort them and you love them, no matter what._

"Are you sure he's ready?" Connor Delaurier asked his wife as the two of them watched their son pack his bag for school, "What if we should homeschool him for another year?"

"Connor," Jenna smiled, resting a hand on her husband's arm, "He's in high school now. He wants the high school experience. Besides, Seth will be there and his other friends – if not, we'll be there if he needs us. He's ready. He will be alright."

"I just… I remember our sophomore year with Adam…" Connor shook his head slowly, "Kids are mean, Jenna."

"I won't deny that, but times have changed. Adam told us that the best way we can help Tyler is by treating him like our son, like a normal boy. If we're always protecting him, he won't become a man."

Tyler looked up at them and smiled nervously. Ever since he came out as transgender three years earlier, he had been pulled from school and his parents had begun homeschooling him in fear that he would be bullied should he stay. For three years, he had put up with his parents teaching him, but he wanted to start his high school education as a normal boy. Adam, who had been Tyler's main source of support during his transition, had stood by him and promised his parents that everything would be alright.

Still his words, however convincing, did nothing to sway the fears of Tyler's parents.

Connor returned his son's smile and walked over to him, resting a hand on his shoulder, feeling the tight fabric through the shirt, "Ready to go, son?"

_You try to do everything right and try to convince them and yourself that you know what you are doing. The last thing you want your kids to realize is that you, the parent, are human. That you make mistakes too._

"Where were you last night?"

"Can we not do this now? It's her first day of high school and I don't want her to hear this."

Too late.

"No, I want to know why my wife is coming home at odd hours of the night!"

"I told you, I was at work." There was a long silence and Margaret "Maggie" Hollingsworth thought that maybe her parents had finally stopped for the day before she heard her mother snap back, "One of us has to support this family."

"This again," Maggie sighed as she heard them start up again. This was a common morning in the Hollingsworth household. Her father always brought up her mother working long hours while her mother would counter, saying she only worked long hours since he was unemployed. "It's not like I'm just sitting on my ass all day! I'm looking for work!"

"Your father offered you work. It's your own selfish pride that won't allow you to provide for your family."

Maggie packed up her bag and threw it over her shoulder, "Mom, Dad, I'm just going to walk to school!"

Maya Hollingsworth poked her head into her daughter's room, "Don't be silly, Maggie. Your father will take you."

"No, it's okay. You and dad… have other things to talk about."

"It's fine. I'd be happy to do it," Miles joined his wife and rested an arm on her shoulder only to have it shrugged off, "Maggie, are you ready to go?"

Maggie nodded and hugged and kissed her mother goodbye before following her dad to his car. The drive to school was silent at first until Miles finally turned to face his daughter, "You know that your mother and I love you very much, right?"

She nodded. Despite their own shortcomings, she was never one of those kids who doubted that she was loved. She knew she was wanted and despite her parents' shaky marriage, they wanted what was best for her. She assumed that was the only reason that they were still together.

"And I love your mother," Miles sighed before giving his daughter a small smile, "Things are just complicated right now. When I find work, things will be better, I promise."

Maggie looked at her father and smiled.

It was the first time she realized that her father was just as unsure about the future as she was.

_But you know that even with your guidance and protection, life will still be hard on them and that's why you stand their loudmouth friends. Because you know they will be there for your child when you know you can't be._

Campbell put his belongings in his locker, closing his eyes and resting his head on the cool metal.

A new year yet it was the same old Degrassi.

He loved getting to school early before the halls were swamped with students, before their chatter bounced off the walls. It was quiet and the silence easily quelled his nerves. He wasn't a freshman, he had already done that first year of obligatory hell, but he wasn't like his friends. He didn't have that calm confidence that every boy his age seemed to possess.

Sometimes he wondered if it was because of his father.

His father was a good man, friendly to those who knew him.

Yet he was overbearing and not like normal, overprotective parents. He was more along the lines of wanting to shield his son from the horrors of the world, to clear the path so that nothing could hurt him.

It was probably due to him losing his wife in childbirth when Cam was born.

Cam leaned against his locker, lost in thought when he heard his friends call his name.

"Novak!"

He turned with a weak grin as Seth Torres and Sirius Goldsworthy hurried towards him. The three of them had been close friends since early childhood with Cam and Seth meeting as five-year-olds playing with trucks at the park before Seth had introduced Cam to his godbrother. After that introduction, the three of them had been inseparable.

"Hey Seth, Sirius," Cam smiled, embracing both boys briefly, "How were your summers?"

"Boring, we stayed in town," Sirius shrugged, returning Cam's grin with his own lopsided smirk, "What about you? How was Russia with your dad?"

"Cold for summer," Cam laughed, "Although, it was nice."

"Yeah it was nice," Seth grinned, "A whole summer in another country where you could do pretty much whatever you wanted. Now tell us, any foreign conquests?"

Cam sobered up, "I just really enjoyed the sights with my dad. I didn't really meet any… girls."

"It's okay, man," Sirius nudged Cam with his shoulder, "We'll find you a hot girl to hook up with here. It's Canada, not exactly a big romantic paradise like Europe, but we'll do our best."

"Yeah," Seth threw his arms around his two best friends as the three of them headed to class, "After all, the school year is just beginning and we have nine months to have the time of our lives."

_Though no matter what you say or do, at the end of the day, it is their lives and all you can do is watch._


	2. Gray World

_Everyone assumes the world is black and white – that there is always a right and wrong. But the truth is that there is so much more than meets the eye. A black and white world is just easier to accept than a gray one. _

"Knock, knock."

Eli Goldsworthy jumped at the sound of Adam's voice and he turned around in his chair, his green eyes locking with the friendly blue stare that was across the room. Adam learned against the doorframe of his friend's study, a brown paper bag in one hand and carefully balancing two cups of coffee in the other, "I thought you could use some breakfast. I know you forget to feed yourself when Clare's gone."

Eli gestured to a chair and Adam took a seat, putting the bag on the side table and handing one of the cups to Eli. He gratefully took the cup and sipped it before asking, "How did you know that Clare was gone?"

"Sirius came over late last night," Adam opened the bag, revealing two bagels, "You didn't notice he was gone?"

"No…" Eli ran a hand through his hair, "He was here before Clare left."

"Do you even try to talk to your son?"

"Look, Adam, I know you're trying to help, but this is my family," Eli's green gaze was intense, "I can handle it."

"He's hurting, Eli. He won't say it – he's a lot like you in that retrospect – but he's hurting. He misses you, but he feels like you hate him because of everything that happened."

"I don't… Adam, you know I don't," Eli sighed, leaning back in his chair, "It's just so hard."

Adam stood up and rested a hand on Eli's shoulder, "I know." He then smiled before picking up his coffee, "Listen, I have to be at work soon, but please, try and talk to Sirius. Let him know that his father is still on his side."

Eli watched as Adam left the room, closing the door behind him, before turning back to his desk, staring intensely at a photograph near the computer screen. It was taken almost twelve years ago during some holiday. Sirius was on Eli's shoulders while Clare had her arms around Darcy and Jake, their children playing at their feet. And then on Eli's right was Ken.

His second son.

_You know what is expected of you, but what if your heart leans in another direction? Which organ is stronger? The brain or the heart?_

This was going to be a good year.

Austin Dallas walked into his first class, feeling confident about the school year – his last year at Degrassi before graduating. He was sixteen years old, but his brilliance had been recognized at an early age. He went to private schools up until high school and even last year, he was taking a couple of college courses at a nearby university. This year, though, he wanted one average high school year before leaving the country to study at any prestigious university.

He just wanted to get into trouble with his friends and spend time with his girlfriend.

"Austin!"

Speak of the devil.

"Hey, babe," He leaned down to kiss her before glancing at the silver watch that hung off his wrist, "Class starts in a couple of minutes. You don't want to be late."

Nadia bit her lip before taking her boyfriend's hand in hers, "Can we go out today? To the Dot or something?"

"Sure, is Aidan coming?"

"Actually, I want you to myself today."

Austin grinned, "That I can do."

He kissed her again before entering his classroom.

Yes, this was definitely going to be a good year.

_Do you tell the truth even though it could hurt someone you loved? Or do you lie and spare them the pain?_

"I hate biology," Seth rolled his eyes as he rested his head against the cool lab table, Tyler sitting beside him. Across from them was a new girl with shoulder-length, reddish brown hair, wearing a pink sweater despite the fact that it was hot in the lab.

"It's your fault for failing last year."

"Yeah, yeah, you sound like my father," Seth shot Tyler a crooked grin, "But I guess biology beats chemistry. I wish I could see Cam struggle with all those equations and crap."

The two laughed and the girl sitting at their table with them shot them both a glare, "You'll both be lucky if you pass this year if you two keep talking this much."

Tyler blushed while Seth turned to face the girl, shrugging, "It's biology. I mean, how's it going to help me later on in life?"

"For one thing, it will help you get into college."

"Ah freshmen, so naïve," Seth grinned before glancing at his friend, "No offense, Tyler."

"Just ignore him. I tend to," Tyler smiled softly, "I'm Tyler Delaurier. He's Seth Torres."

"Tracey Novotney," The girl returned Tyler's smile before becoming serious once more, "Now if you don't mind, I want to actually listen to what our teacher is saying."

"Jeez," Seth whispered to Tyler, "I didn't think anyone cared that much about biology."

Tyler ignored his friend and continued taking notes.

She may be really gung-ho about biology, but there was no denying another truth.

She was cute.

_Sometimes the truth doesn't exist in a gray world. Friendship is gray, love is gray, every single person is gray – no one is completely nice or one hundred percent asshole. There's good and bad in everyone. The trick is finding out which side – black or white – is the strongest._

"Did you hear about the party at Martin's?" Sirius asked, his feet sprawled out across the picnic bench that he, Aidan, and Cam had claimed for themselves for their lunch period. The other two boys were across the table, a comic book spread out in between them, surrounded by their lunches.

"Yeah," Aidan took a sip of his soda, "Apparently he's getting a couple of kegs."

"Sweet," Sirius grinned, "You two going to be there?"

"Of course. I haven't missed one of his parties yet," Aidan nodded, lazily flipping the page of the comic before turning to Cam, "You going?"

"Uh…"

"Of course he is," Seth joined them, pushing Sirius's feet off the bench so he could sit, "Sirius and I promised we would set you up with someone. We have to make good on that promise and what better place than at a party where every girl is wasted."

"He has standards," Sirius rolled his eyes at Seth, flicking a potato chip at his best friend before turning back to Cam, "Don't worry, I have better taste than Seth here."

"If you let him pick, your girl will be a complete bore," Seth objected.

"Where's Tyler?" Aidan interrupted, noticing Cam's discomfort as Seth and Sirius talked about his possible date, "I thought the two of you had biology together?"

Sirius chortled quietly, "I still can't believe you failed biology."

Seth pushed Sirius off the bench, grinning as his friend landed on the dirt with a thud before facing Aidan, "Actually Tyler offered to show some new girl around. I don't know. He's kind of gotten distant since he decided to go stealth."

"I'm still surprised he decided to do that," Aidan flipped through the comic, "I mean, all of his friends know that he's trans and we don't care. What's so different all of a sudden?"

"Maybe he's trying to get with a girl?" Sirius offered a suggestion, taking his seat next to Seth after dusting the dirt off his pants, "I mean, dating can't be easy when you're trans."

"Hey, my dad found someone alright," Seth objected, but shrugged immediately after saying that, "But to be fair, it did take a lot of time and he had to go through a lot of changes before he and my mom were happy."

"I don't think dating in high school is ever easy," Aidan commented dryly, taking another sip of his soda, "It doesn't matter your gender or sexuality."

Everyone looked at one another and for once they were all in agreement.

_The words are on the tip of your tongue… the truth. The trick is making them real._

"So what do you think of Degrassi?" Tyler asked, leaning on the wall next to Tracey's locker. It was the end of the first day and students (and more than one staff member) were grabbing their belongings and hurrying out the door, not bothering to turn around. Everyone just wanted to get home to their computers or video games as soon as possible.

"You know you didn't have to walk me to every class today," Tracey smiled, "I could have managed on my own."

"Yeah, yeah I know," Tyler saw Sirius and Aidan waving him over from the other side of the hallway, but he just waved them away, trying to silently signal to them that he would catch up with them later, "Still lots of hallways. It could have been easy to get lost."

"In that case, thanks," Tracey rested a hand on his shoulder, "That was really sweet."

Tyler's cheeks flushed and he shrugged, mumbling incoherently before asking in a stronger tone, "So on Friday everyone is going to this party at this senior's house. I'm going with some friends and it might be cool if you show up too."

"It sounds like fun. I'll think about it," Tracey grinned before closing her locker door, "Until tomorrow, Mr. Delaurier."

Tyler watched her walk away before heading outside and towards the staff parking lot where both his parents were waiting. He was impressed by both of them today. They both worked at the school and other than quick glances in the hallway, they had otherwise ignored him – even after his mother saw him with the same girl multiple times.

"Hey pal, how was the first day?" Connor asked as he unlocked the doors to the car and the Delaurier family got in.

"It was good."

"Meet anyone special?" Tyler caught his mother's stare in the mirror and shrugged.

"Too soon to tell."

_At the end of the day, we try to balance everything out in a way where we are happy and everyone we care about is happy, but sometimes you have to make a choice. Are you wrong if you choose to help yourself?_

"Vanilla latte with an extra shot of espresso," Austin grinned, placing the cup in front of Nadia who gave him a weak smile.

She picked up the cup and took a sip before putting it down, her mind whirling. Didn't she read somewhere that you weren't supposed to drink coffee when you're pregnant? Wasn't it bad for the baby or something? Did it even matter right now? The last time she and Austin had had sex was three weeks ago so she was still in the early age of pregnancy. Would the coffee affect the baby at all?

What the hell was she thinking?!

She didn't even know if she was going to keep the baby… or go through with the pregnancy yet.

"You okay, babe?" Austin asked, reaching across the table to take her hand, "You're very pale."

"Austin, we need to talk."

It was Austin's turn to have his head spin. He and Nadia had been dating for over year since the summer before freshman year and while he knew down the road, it wouldn't make sense for them to be together, he still wanted to spend every chance he got with her. He didn't want to lose her. She was his first girlfriend, his first love, and his first time. He couldn't lose her.

"Nadia, I know I haven't been around that much, but I was just really busy preparing for the new school year. We'll go out more I promise. I don't want to break up," He covered her hand with his, "I love you."

"Austin, I don't want to break up. I just…" She felt the tears prickle the corner of her eyes, "I have something I need to tell you."

"Babe, don't cry," Austin smiled weakly, squeezing her hand, "Whatever it is, we'll get through it together."

"Austin, I'm pregnant."

He let go of her hands.

_The world is spinning and you are the only one who can make a difference._

Eli grabbed the corner of his desk and winced as the pain shot through his skull.

These migraines were getting more and more intense.

He tried to reach for a glass of water, but felt his knees give way and collapsed onto the ground.

_What do you do when the ground disappears from under you?_

"Austin, please say something."

More silence.

"Austin, please."

"Get an abortion."

At first, Nadia thought she had misheard him, but when he looked up, an intense fire burning in his brown eyes, she knew she hadn't. She thought that he would want to talk about options or something, but she had never expected this.

"Austin, I think we need to talk about…"

"No. There's nothing to talk about," Austin stood up, leaving a couple of bills on the table as a tip, "Get an abortion. We have our whole lives in front of us – I'm going to university in a year. This will screw everything up."

Nadia looked down at her hands and whispered, "Okay."

Austin nodded before grabbing his car keys.

"Come on. I'll take you home."

_What do you do? _


	3. Family

_Everyone always assumes that your family is blood. That makes sense in theory. But what about when you're a sixteen year old runaway, crashing on your friend's couch? Or when everyone else has abandoned you except for your friends? What then? When does the line between family and friendship start to blur?_

He opened his eyes and saw that he was on his couch.

He leaned up, but that merely caused his head to spin and he clutched it, falling back against the cushions. That small sign of movement attracted the attention of the woman sitting in the chair adjacent to the couch.

She stood and walked the short distance to her husband, placing a hand on his wrist, "Just rest."

"Clare?" Eli groaned, blinking up at her, "What are you doing here? What about your trip?"

"Adam called me," Clare explained, "He said he came in to check on you and found you passed out on the floor."

"Adam…?"

"Hey man," Adam poked his head into the room, grinning, "I hope you don't mind, but I got hungry waiting for Clare to get here so I ordered Chinese. Thought we could all have dinner and pretend that we're back in high school."

"Where's Sirius?"

Adam and Clare exchanged a glance before Clare answered, "He asked to spend the night with Seth again and I let him. Becky took the boys to Drew and Bianca's for dinner."

"Why aren't you there?" Eli glanced at Adam.

Adam walked over to Eli and bent down, grinning, "Told you. I wanted to spend my time with my best friends. When was the last time we were together – just the three of us. I love Becky with all my heart, but sometimes I just need my friends."

Eli smiled weakly before leaning back, closing his eyes, "Did you remember to get extra orange chicken?"

_Is it when your friends know more about you than your family? When they know who you are? Or is it when your family is so far away and more like strangers than the people who raised you for so many years?_

"Sirius, how's your father?"

Sirius looked up at Drew Torres who was sitting across from him in between Bianca and Aidan. He himself was seated in between Becky and Seth while Nadia took the end seat. This wasn't his first dinner at the other Torres house, but it did seem more awkward than normal. For one thing, Adam wasn't there to joke around with Drew and Bianca so the flow of the conversation between the adults seemed a little force. For another, Nadia was quieter than normal, poking at the food on her plate, not looking at anyone. Seth and Aidan were making the most conversation, trying to fill the silences.

"I don't know," Sirius shrugged, "Adam said he was going to call when he woke up."

"He'll be okay," Bianca smiled and Sirius shrugged again.

"Sure."

The adults are exchanged a glance before Becky asked, "Do you want to take me to take you home after dinner?"

"Actually, Seth said I could stay the night again."

Becky glanced at her son and Seth looked up, mumbling around a bite of food, "I didn't think you would mind, Mom."

The strawberry blonde gave a small smile before nodding at Sirius, "I'll set up the guest room." However, she did catch the stare of both Drew and Bianca. They all thought that sooner or later Sirius should start living at him home, but since none of them knew the extent of what was happening there, all they could do was sit there silently.

Becky then turned her attention to her niece, trying to help Sirius by shifting the attention off of him, "So, Nadia, how is Austin?"

"He's fine," Nadia muttered, but when she saw her mother giving her a disapproving glance, she straightened up and added, "He's looking forward to starting his senior year. He's going to start visiting colleges in a week."

Drew smiled, leaning backwards in his chair, "Who would have thought that Mike Dallas's son would be a sixteen year old senior and one of the smartest students in the region?"

"I think Austin takes after Alli more than Mike," Becky countered.

Seth, Sirius, and Aidan rolled their eyes as the adults started reminiscing about high school.

Nadia stayed silent.

_But do your friends ever replace your family? The bonds between families are strong and sometimes, even when you don't agree with them, you are willing to stand beside them even if the face of the impossible. _

Austin knocked on his brother's apartment door and waited a couple of seconds before knocking again.

He wasn't in a patient mood.

A couple more seconds later and the door opened, revealing Rock Dallas, his half-brother. The twenty-four year old man, leaned against the doorframe, staring his younger brother down. His head was shaved yet he had a small pointed beard. He was wearing an old Degrassi sweatshirt despite never attending the high school (he had been living with his mom at that point) and a pair of torn jeans. The two brothers stared at each other.

"Well, Austin, never thought I would be seeing you at my doorstep."

Austin looked away. The two were close when Austin was younger – when he thought his older brother was someone to be idolized, but in recent years, he saw his brother for what he was: arrogant and lazy. He had dropped out of school his senior year and began working at a pizza shop where he had been for the last six years. He shared his one bedroom apartment with three other men. When Austin saw his brother as a loser, he turned his back on him, despite the disappointment it caused his father. He didn't want this man in his life.

Yet he needed him now more than over.

"I brought Tai food," Austin held up the bag, "I thought you could use a break from pizza."

Rock stared at him skeptically before opening the door a bit further, allowing his brother to walk in.

Inside it was even worse.

The dark orange wallpaper was peeling and there was trash on the green carpet. A couch was barely visible underneath clothes and beer bottles. Thankfully, it was empty. Austin didn't want to socialize with his brother's roommates.

"Where is everyone?"

"Someone was throwing a party."

"Why didn't you go?"

No answer.

There was an awkward silence before Rock crossed his arms, "Why are you here, Austin? You haven't come to see me in years. I think the last time we talked was two Christmases ago."

"I wanted to ask you something," Austin walked around the apartment, placing the food on a somewhat clean coffee table. He then picked up a picture.

It was a picture taken at that Christmas Rock mentioned. Rock was sitting on the couch, a boy on his lap, his brown eyes glowing as he opened up another present. The boy was five years old in the picture and Austin smiled softly.

"How is Michael?"

Rock was silent before answering, "I haven't seen him in a couple of months. His mom is trying to get sole custody of him."

"Can you blame her?"

The question was out before Austin could stop it.

"Listen, Austin, I know I fucked up my life," Rock's voice was low and dangerous and Austin knew he touched a nerve. Whatever he thought about his brother's life, he knew that he did love his son, "I got a girl pregnant when I was seventeen and dropped out of school and now I am working a shit job. Did you come over here just to tell me how much better you are?"

Austin looked at him, "No. I came here to apologize." There was silence so Austin continued, remembering his earlier conversation with Nadia, "We're not that different."

_I suppose all families are different. Some are rock solid while some are about to fall apart. It just depends on what life throws at you. Some have it all, a perfect life, while others break under pressure. Everyone is different._

Maggie sat on her roof, listening to her parents fight once more. Maya had gotten late from work again and Miles had decided to pick a fight. Then the fight had escalated when her godfather had called, revealing that he had spent the day at a bar with Miles. So she had climbed out of her bedroom window and stared up at the stars.

"Knock, knock."

Maggie looked over at the boy in the tree that connected her house to her neighbor's. Tyler grinned at her, hanging on the branch like a cat before asking, "Want some company?"

"Sure."

Tyler landed on the roof with a soft thud before taking a seat next to Maggie. The two sat in comfortable silence.

They had been neighbors since they were born and their friendship was strong. Maggie had been the first to know that Tyler was in fact Tyler and not the feminine identity he had been masquerading as. Tyler was the only one who knew about Maggie's family life. Secrets and life kept them bonded as best friends.

"Where were you today?" Maggie asked, looking over at Tyler, "I thought we were going to sit together at lunch?"

"I was helping a new student find her way around," Tyler explained, "I'm sorry, I meant to text you. It was just nice having someone who doesn't know – about me."

"You're at a new school, technically," Maggie smiled weakly before glancing down at her hands, "A lot of people aren't going to know. Just promise me you won't forget me."

"Never," Tyler grinned, taking her hand in his as they sat together on the roof. They stared up at the stars, content in one another's company. There was silence for a while before Tyler spoke again, "How are your parents?"

Maggie glanced at him in disbelief, "You can't hear them?"

Tyler sighed, squeezing her hand, "This won't last forever. Things will get better."

"You don't know that."

_Your family is there to help you stand. They keep you rooted and they keep you strong._

Cam sat in the white waiting room, his hands on his lap. It was a little past eight and he was waiting for his father. Zig had been complaining about chest pains and finally decided to see a doctor. Cam had driven him to his appointment and was now waiting for him, wondering what was taking so long.

Having read all the magazines, he thought about his first day of school. He had spent most of it with Seth, Sirius, and Aidan – his three best friends. Cam, Seth, and Aidan had been in school together since they were five and Sirius, despite being a year above them, spent most of his time with them then people his own age. He was supposed to be more comfortable with them than anyone, but they rarely talked about anything serious. Seth and Sirius joked about everything and always teased him – good naturedly, of course, but he was still the one who usually was on the end of their teasing cycles.

Like today.

Just because he hadn't dated anyone yet, they had taken it to mean that they should set him up with someone.

Cam worried about the girl they would pick out. Seth's tastes leaned more towards the more promiscuous of women while Sirius had a darker taste. He couldn't imagine himself with any of their ex-girlfriends.

He hoped Aidan would have a say.

Aidan was different than them.

He was special.

"Cam," Cam stood up as Zig began to walk towards him, "Sorry it took so long."

"It's alright," Cam smiled weakly, "Are you alright?"

Zig paused before speaking, "I have to come back in in a couple of days – for additional screening."

"But you'll be okay, right?"

_What happens when your family are the people who make you fall?_

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter. This was supposed to help show how each teen is related to a Degrassi alumni or to another OC character. Hopefully it cleared some things up. And as to both Eli and Zig having medical conditions? That will be explained later on. Not everything I do is completely random.


	4. Choices

_Choices. We make them every day. The good, the bad, the ugly. We choose to help people, or to help ourselves. We allow our decisions to be influenced by our friends and family._

Nadia Torres sat in the clinic alone, waiting for her name to be called. She glanced at the other women around her. There was a woman, probably in college, being held by her boyfriend as she cried while another was surrounded by two other girls, all of them leaning on each other for comfort. There was a girl, maybe a year or two older than Nadia herself, sobbing as a stern face mother holding her hand.

Nadia had no one.

She had texted Austin and told him that she was getting the abortion, but so far, she had heard nothing from him. She still was waiting for him to walk in and hold her, telling her that everything was going to be okay.

The door never opened.

She thought about telling her mother or even Aidan, but she couldn't bring herself. Her mother would be disappointed. Her brother would be angry at Austin. She thought about her aunt. Becky was very understanding, but would she be supportive? She was very religious and Nadia had passed more than one protestor outside.

No. She was better off alone.

Well that wasn't true.

She would be better with Austin, but he wasn't coming.

Nadia sat alone and waited for the nurse to call her name.

_We choose the people we surround ourselves with, but we don't choose how much we care about them. Logic and love never go hand in hand. We fall for someone who we shouldn't have looked twice at. _

"So, tonight?" Tyler leaned near Tracey's locker, "Are you coming?"

"I don't know," Tracey put her books away, "I'm not really a drinker."

"Neither am I," Tyler grinned, "But you know, we could go together, laugh at some people. Just have a good time."

Tracey returned his smile, "You would watch out for me?"

"Scout's honor."

Tracey laughed, "Okay, give me the address and I'll show up."

"Great," Tyler picked up his bag and through it over his shoulder, "I'll see you in a couple of hours."

_We choose to do stupid things, but we are never smart enough to think about the future. We don't choose the outcomes yet we always have to live with the aftermath of our decisions._

The party was packed.

It seemed like every Degrassi student was at Glen Martin's house. There were beer bottles and wine coolers on the floor and in the room towards the back, a couple of seniors had brought out a bong. Several couples were making out on the couches, stairs, anywhere that was available.

Aidan and Cam looked around. Aidan was on his third beer while Cam was holding a wine cooler, interested more in just holding it than actually drinking. Aidan thought the party was awesome while Cam subtly clung to his friend as they navigated through the crowd before finally finding a somewhat comfortable space with a perfect view of the front door. They were still trying to locate the rest of their friends.

"Hey, there's Tyler and Maggie," Cam pointed out before waving them over. Maggie was instantly passed a drink (girls drank for free) while Tyler ignored the drinks being pushed in his direction. He seemed more interested in looking for someone.

"Who are you looking for, Ty?" Aidan asked before finishing his third beer and instantly looking for another. He had an amused smile and his eyes were slightly glazed over. Cam and Tyler exchanged a glance.

One of them was going to have to take him home.

"Just a friend," Tyler explained.

"Join the club," Aidan sighed, "I've been looking for Seth and Sirius for the past half hour. They apparently got here hours ago, but no one has seen them."

Almost on cue, Seth stumbled towards them. His eyes were bloodshot and he smelled of smoke.

He grinned at his friends before throwing his arms around Aidan and Tyler, "Hey, Ty, glad you could make it."

Aidan rolled his eyes, "Dude, you're high as hell."

"So?" Seth laughed, "It's Friday. I have no plans for tomorrow."

"Have you seen Sirius?" Aidan asked.

"Uh… he was somewhere…" Seth shrugged before grabbing a beer from the table, "I don't know."

"Well, he's no help," Tyler moved away from Seth, "I'm going to try and find Sirius. I'll be back."

"Try and find Nadia too," Aidan added, "I think she's here with Austin."

As Tyler disappeared, Maggie put her now empty drink down and Aidan instantly handed her another. She gave him a questioning glance and he shrugged, "It's on the house."

"So, Campbell," Seth grinned in Cam's direction, "See any girls you like?"

Cam flushed and shrugged, "I don't know."

"Ah, don't worry, we'll find you someone," Seth laughed before flicking Cam's wine cooler, "Drink faster, man."

"Hey, there's Tracey," Maggie said much louder than necessary, her cheeks flushed, "Tracey!"

The dark-haired girl spotted them before walking over, "Hey Maggie." She then eyed Seth who was now ruffling Aidan's hair playfully, "Seth."

Seth turned to face her and grinned, his eyes brightening, "Bingo."

_When we make the wrong choice, we blame ourselves – even though at the time, it was what was right._

"Austin! Austin! Will you please talk to me?" Nadia followed her boyfriend who was ducking through crowds as though trying to avoid her. This dance had been going on for about ten minutes and Nadia's patience was running thin. Finally she reached out and grabbed his arm, turning him to face her, "Austin!"

Austin looked around before mumbling, "Here, let's talk somewhere privately."

The two ducked outside where a couple of partygoers were lounging on the grass. It was as private as you could get in a place like this.

Nadia sighed before looking up at Austin, "Austin, what's going on?"

Austin looked away, "We need to talk – about… about everything that has happened."

"I know that," Nadia whispered, "I've been trying to talk to you. I've been calling you all day."

"I'm sorry."

Nadia smiled weakly, "It's fine. Just talk to me now."

"Not about that," Austin finally stared at her, "I'm sorry about making you get the abortion. It was the wrong decision."

"Oh," Nadia paused, "But Austin, I…"

"It was the wrong decision and I shouldn't have told you to do that," Austin repeated, "And now I feel so guilty. I… I think about it and I feel sick to my stomach. And…"

"And…?" Nadia pressed.

"And I look at you and I feel disgust," Austin said bitterly, "I feel disgust that you got an abortion and I know I was the one who told you to do that, but… but I didn't think it would feel this way."

"Austin," Nadia looked down, "I…"

"This isn't going to work anymore," Austin said, "I don't want to hate you, but if we stay together… I can't even look at you. I don't think I can love you anymore."

"But Austin…"

Austin walked away.

"I'm sorry."

_We choose to ignore the things that we may not want to accept. We choose to not choose._

Sirius stumbled around the party, searching for Seth or any of the others. Instead, all he found was more drunk freshmen and a couple of passed out bodies. He and Seth had arrived together hours before, but they had separated almost immediately. Seth had gone to the back to throw in for the bong and he had instantly joined the beer bong table.

Sirius headed to Glen's room where someone had said they saw Aidan head and opened the door.

There are a lot of things you want to see in your life, but Sirius knew this wasn't one of them.

He stammered in a way completely unlike him and shut the door, his skin flushed.

He definitely did not want to see one of his best friends with their shirt off, lying on top of a plastered Maggie Hollingsworth.

Aidan was going to have an interesting hangover come morning.

"Sirius!" Sirius turned as Tyler called his name and they nudged through the crowd to get to one another's side. Tyler took in Sirius's shocked expression, "What's going on?"

"Nothing… nothing… just… just don't go into that room," Sirius grinned sheepishly before throwing an arm around Tyler, "So have you found Seth or the others?"

"Yeah, Seth and Cam are over here," Tyler led his drunk friend back towards the stairwell, but froze in the hallway.

Tracey was on Cam's lap and their lips were locked.

Seth was leaning against the wall, grinning.

_Life is all about choices though. The choice to love or to hate. The choice to accept or deny. And come morning, you have to live with your decisions._

Seth hung outside of Glen's house, a joint in between his lips as his grinned at the upper classman. Last night was a good night.

Aidan woke up in Glen's bed and rolled over, his eyes widening as he saw Maggie Hollingsworth sleeping next to him, wearing only her bra. What the fuck? He was never drinking again.

Nadia lied in her bed, the tears rolling down her face as she thought about everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. All the choices and all the lies and everything had changed. She hadn't even been given the chance to explain.

Austin thought about Nadia, wondering if he made the right choice. He knew that the wrong choice was the first one he had made, but last night, what he said to Nadia, he had to believe he had done the right thing.

Tyler sat on his roof, wondering where Maggie was. He needed someone to talk to. It was stupid to believe that he could just be a normal guy and be in a normal relationship. Biological men would always win. It was a stupid dream.

Cam looked at his phone and saw that Tracey had texted him again. He thought about Seth had more or less forced them to do more than enough shots and then he remembered where that had led. Was this a good idea?

_So many choices and only one life._

"How serious is it?"

"Much more serious than we originally thought."

"Can you operate?"

"We could try, but the risks are too great. You could end up paralyzed or…" Dr. Alli Dallas looked away, "I'm going to recommend you to another neurologist. Get a second opinion."

"Don't bother," He smiled weakly, "We've been friends for years. I know how good of a doctor you are. You're one of the best in the world. If you say the tumor is inoperable than it is."

"You shouldn't trust me so much…" Alli sighed, "I make mistakes too."

"Not about this. And especially not about a friend. I know you, Alli, and you would have checked this dozens of times before calling me in," He smiled again although this time it seemed force and she thought she could see tears in his eyes, "I trust you."

The two sat in silence.

"How long?"

"At best? Nine months."

"At worst?"

"Two months."

"Oh," He sighed, running a hand through his hair, "That sucks."

"Should I call someone? A family member?"

"No," His voice was firm and it was the first time that he seemed to have a strong emotion about this. Ever since they first found the tumor, two months ago, he had made jokes or tried to lighten the situation. "No one can know about this. Alli, swear to me."

"There's going to be signs soon. If something happens, someone needs to know."

"No one can. They would… they would treat me differently. I don't want to worry them."

"They have a reason to be worried!"

"Alli," He sighed, "Swear to me."

"Fine," She looked at him and nodded, "You are my patient and I won't say anything. But you should."

"I don't want my last few months to be filled with concern and panic. I want to spend time with everyone as though nothing has changed." He stood and grabbed his coat, throwing it over his shoulder, "Thank you, Alli."

As he left, Alli watched him go, tears in her own eyes, "Everything is going to change."

_What do you choose?_

* * *

Author's Note: Not a big fan of this chapter. I might go back and rewrite it at a later date, but this chapter is really what is going to initiate all the main problems of the story and all the main points that I wanted to get across have gotten across. So leave me a review and tell me your opinions on Austin, Nadia, and the abortion; Aidan and Maggie; the Tyler, Cam, and Tracey triangle; and especially the final part. Who has a brain tumor? Who has a risk of dying? All will eventually be revealed.


End file.
